Today (14 December) a Federal Foreign Office spokesperson issued the following statement on the municipal elections in Saudi Arabia, in which women had active and passive voting rights for the first time:

The fact that women were able to vote and be elected for the first time in the municipal elections in Saudi Arabia is an important step. Saudi Arabia has many remarkable women who are marking out their own paths in business and administration, in the media and in academia. Regardless of the election results, we therefore have the greatest respect for the courageous women who have taken the initiative and assumed their place also in the political sphere.